


sunny blue

by jingi



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 02:18:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12098529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jingi/pseuds/jingi
Summary: jinki is starlight in the dusty streets of seoul, brightness and warmth with sweaters more comfortable than jongin's. jinki makes separate toast breakfast for jongin and tells him that he's sunshine. jongin tries to keep jinki from getting out of bed by kissing him one more time. these are their ways of saying love. (crossposted from shineexofest)





	sunny blue

**Author's Note:**

> i actually really wanted to write something like this even before i saw the prompt, so thank you prompter and hope you enjoy too :') this fic was largely influenced by the sounds of kevin oh's "stardust" and his cover of "la vie en rose," among other things.

winter in seoul can be brutal. despite other people’s complaints, jongin doesn’t mind it so much when suddenly the sun sets at 5 pm every day and there’s only snow instead of sunlight for a week straight. when jongin was little, he’d tell people that he liked winter because he was born in january and he could drink hot chocolate more often. 

it’s not that those reasons aren’t still true, but jongin has other reasons now. winter is warm sweaters and thick scarves and layers of blankets while still wearing no socks. winter is an excuse to call the crackling fireplace company and do nothing, but it’s also an invitation to breathe in the cold, crisp air outside with fewer people around.

today’s slushy weather means that the subway stations are more crowded than usual. jongin walks carefully around the bigger half-melted piles and dirty footprints but can’t escape all of them when there’s so many people around him. he doesn’t have to worry about bumping umbrellas with other people because he didn’t bring one today – a mistake, it seems by the number of people coming into the station closing and shaking off their wet umbrellas. he’ll just run to the nearest convenience store and wait it out if he needs to. 

the yellow sign at the top of the exit stairs glares against the cloudy sky. he walks to the edge of the sidewalk where there are fewer people and the air is clearer. some slush is falling down still, but he won’t get too wet if he walks quickly.

“jongin-ah!” the warmest voice he knows calls out, and jongin looks up, already smiling.

jinki’s standing under an awning of a street stall just ahead of jongin, the steam from the odeng and twigim wafting behind his head. even with the smell of the frying oil and seafood, jinki’s scent is still there when jongin hugs him and presses his face against jinki’s shoulder.

“ahjumma, one fishcake stick please,” jinki says, then passing said fishcake stick to jongin. 

“only one?” jongin jokes. jinki already picked jongin’s favorite for him.

“because i already ordered chicken delivery. it’ll arrive soon, so we should hurry a bit.” jinki pulls a scarf out of his jacket and wraps it around jongin’s neck. it covers his cheeks and mouth at first, so jinki tugs that part down. “eat, eat.”

jongin finishes the fishcakes while they’re still hot, the insides of his cheeks burning a little. the warmth of the scarf back over his mouth again feels like it’s spreading to the rest of his body too, even the tips of his fingers. jinki always holds the umbrella over the two of them, and jongin always interlinks their arms first and presses himself into jinki’s side. the streets are crowded, but when they fit together like this no one else ever bumps into them.

it’s not so hard to avoid the half-melted ice on steep stairways when jinki breaks into a loud laugh and sunshine seeps out of the crinkles beside his eyes. jinki is the ray of summer joy and the calm spring air laced with the light scent of flowers, heady and intoxicating if you’re that close. jinki is a mix of bright and dark, adult and boy, the surprise unseasonably warm day in late october amongst falling red leaves. jinki is everything, then.

☂

maybe it’s an unspoken law of the world that jongin has to yawn every time he walks into the kitchen for the first time each day. he’s still sleepy enough that his slippers make extra shuffling noises against the tile. jinki, always awake earlier than him, has already put the bread in the toaster for jongin and has jam and butter out on the table. since jongin doesn’t usually like eating korean breakfast – the tang of pickled vegetables isn’t his preferred way of waking up – jinki’s probably already finished his rice and side dishes and will eat toast with jongin as dessert.  
jongin slides onto one of the stools by the counter. “what’s the weather going to be today?”

jinki pulls a butter knife out of a drawer and clears his throat. “goooooood morning citizens of seoul and thank you for joining this morning’s daily weather forecast.” the toaster dings, and jinki slides a plate of fresh toast over. “please enjoy listening to our live broadcast, or maybe breadcast if you’re now eating breakfast.” 

jongin snorts. “how do you even think of these things.”

“currently the chance of rain is about 23% with a higher possibility during the late afternoon, but you probably do not need to bring an umbrella with you. it’s cloudy now, as you might be able to see, but – jongin-ah, smile for a second.”

jongin’s face scrunches in confusion. “what?” 

jinki nods a few times as a gesture for jongin to continue while spreading butter and strawberry jam on his toast. he’s probably still making a joke, but jongin can’t predict it right now. playing along, he smiles exaggeratedly for half a second.

“—and oh, maybe our listeners saw that for a moment – the sun just shone so brightly even though it’s mostly cloudy! yes, today’s weather will be partly sunny past noon!”

jongin rolls his eyes at the cheesiness, but he can’t completely stop himself from smiling anyways, this time genuinely. jinki can still make jongin shy without explicitly saying “i love you” even in sillier ways like this.

“ah!” jinki shields his eyes with his arm, talking more excitedly. “everyone, be careful! the sun is being a bit unpredictable – it’s shining so brightly right now! sunglasses are a must!” 

jinki’s hand is above his eyes like a shield. the way he squints at jongin, entirely too absorbed for a simple joke, is so determined and cute that jongin laughs out loud and leans on the counter while hitting jinki’s arm. 

“stop it,” jongin says, but he doesn’t really mean it. in response, jinki covers his eyes completely and waves his other arm around like he’s feeling for something. he’s still holding half a slice of toast. 

“oh dear! it looks like everyone should try to stay indoors today! the sun is just too bright! you might not even be able to see!”

jongin just shakes his head now, but he still has a hint of a smile as he bites into the last of his toast. if anything, jinki’s smile is more dangerous.

☂

kibum had been the first to find out about them. it wasn’t like they were trying to hide anything, but kibum sees these things first anyways.

“hey, that’s the same sweater i gave to jinki. isn’t it.” kibum had said.

jongin shrugged. “it’s a nice design, isn’t it? pretty popular these days.” being vague is supposed to be safe, but besides that jongin hadn’t known exactly what to say. technically he and jinki hadn’t officially confirmed that they were dating yet. together.

kibum knew better.

“is this your size? it’s an oversized fit, yeah, but something seems off.”

he was right. jongin’s taller than jinki, but jinki’s chest is a bit broader. koreans like everything oversized anyways. subtle differences.

“yeah, it’s the sweater you gave me,” jinki said, appearing out of nowhere. “jonginnie likes wearing my clothes. but don’t worry, kibummie, i’ll still steal it back from jongin sometimes.” 

kibum rolled his eyes. “so it’s like that, right? finally, you two. jongin-ah, try to make your lovesick staring a little less obvious now that your feelings are mutual, hm?”

jongin chose to stay silent rather than betray himself further and curled into himself, pulling the sleeves of jinki’s sweater down to cover his fingers more. warm and safe. 

he felt a chin rest on his shoulder, and jinki’s arms gently enclosed his neck. the sleeves of the sweater he wore were too long on him too. “sure, sure, kibummie. expert of knowing love and making ten people fall in love with him at once. is it tiring?” 

kibum huffed in mild protest. “it’s just painful when it’s so obvious on your faces. be happy, i don’t know. i have somewhere to be.” maybe kibum had worn heeled boots that clicked as he walked away, maybe he had worn more quiet shoes. (jongin remembered it as being somewhat dramatic, based on projections of typical kibum.)

jinki pressed his nose against jongin’s neck. jongin’s blushing had seemed to get more serious starting around that time.

“us?” jongin had whispered, and jinki had nodded. he didn’t need to say anything else.

☂

“jongin-ah, you’ve already slept in for two hours…” jinki comes and sits on the edge of the bed, running a hand through jongin’s hair slowly before yanking the covers off in one fast motion. 

jongin is used to this. he manages to catch some of the blankets before they all fall on the ground and snuggles into what he can. “hyuuung, it’s cold if you do that.”

“if you’d get out of bed, put some clothes on, and move around maybe you wouldn’t be cold,” jinki says with fond exasperation. jongin tugs on jinki’s sleeve, unable to help himself from smiling. 

“just come back to bed and nap with me a little more. it’s not that late yet.” jongin pats the pillow next to him. “doesn’t it look so warm and comfy?”

“no,” jinki refuses. he leans in to kiss jongin, softly at first but biting jongin’s lower lip not so gently before he pulls away. 

“i think if you do that one more time then i’ll be able to get up.” 

jinki suddenly straddles jongin within a second and leans down to cup jongin’s face with his hands as he kisses him deeply. jongin tries not to gasp as jinki’s tongue slides across his teeth. when he opens his eyes, jinki’s expression has changed from its default softness to that burning, commanding look that makes jongin’s breath quicken.

“you aren’t cold still, are you?” jinki grasps jongin’s wrist and pulls hard enough that jongin sits upright and almost falls off the bed. in retaliation, jongin actually gets up and pushes jinki off him, pushes until he’s against the wall trapped between jongin’s arms.

“you can’t tease me like that and expect to get away with it. don’t set a bad example, old man.”

jinki just raises his eyebrows in a silent question, like what are you gonna do even though they both know. the force of jongin’s kiss makes them both stumble into and slide against the wall, and jongin melts further into the warmth of jinki’s hands that naturally find their place on his back underneath his shirt. there’s also the warmth of jinki’s chest against his, firm, and of course the warmth of his mouth. jongin loves the way jinki’s bottom lip feels between his lips and teeth, loves the way jinki kisses him slowly so that it’s hard to stay standing. 

of course, jinki kissing jongin’s neck is a bit of a different story. now jongin’s the one pinned against the wall and jinki’s mouth is sucking the skin on the side of jongin’s neck. jongin has just enough air to keep breathing, and his voice sometimes stutters with his body when the sensation is too much. he feels jinki pause slightly at this too, when jongin makes noises just how jinki likes it. jongin’s voice catches in his throat more loudly, somewhere between a gasp and a moan, when jinki palms jongin’s dick and jongin’s hips press forward. 

“this old man has to go out soon,” jinki whispers, but that isn’t a no. it just means they can’t do everything right now.

jongin’s pajama pants come off quickly. jongin also comes quickly. with jinki’s hands split evenly between stroking jongin’s dick and grabbing his hair, jinki’s plush lips on the side of his neck while jongin rests his chin on jinki’s shoulder, and jongin feeling the slope of jinki’s sides underneath his fingers, it’s too much to process and jongin can’t last. jongin also loves it when he can keep kissing jinki while jinki finishes himself next, when jongin can run both his hands all over jinki’s chest, shoulders, back, deceptively broad and firm muscles hot under his touch. 

it seems to always end like this. jongin feels so full, so taken care of and satiated, but yet at the same time it isn’t enough because he can’t imagine ever having enough of jinki and unable to give anything more. 

jinki comes out of the shower first, dressed but still toweling his hair dry. “go wash up,” he says before pressing a soft kiss to jongin’s cheek. jongin can’t help but give one back for a few seconds a longer. jinki makes him melt in every way.

☂

jongin wakes up to the feeling of soft lips against his, and he isn’t surprised to find that he’s smiling already. 

“hi.”

“morning.” jinki woke up first, but his eyes are still a little sleepy too. jongin pokes his fingers out of his too-long sleeves to reach out and trace the path of jinki’s eyelids, the uneven crinkles of sunshine that appear most when he smiles. jongin loves them, loves that he is the source of that perfectly imperfect eye smile.

he scoots closer to jinki as if he isn’t close enough. there’s nothing wrong with making sure jinki is really there sometimes, and jongin loves his body heat. jongin never realizes his toes are cold until he tangles his legs with jinki’s, and every time it’s like the first time jongin remembers how good it is being next to someone warm. 

jinki pulls the blankets tighter around jongin. “you get it easy today. i won’t steal the covers from you yet.”

“thanks~” jongin sings it out but can’t stop himself from yawning halfway through. “even though you let me off several times a week.”

“hey,” jinki says with a click of his tongue as he sits up and swings his legs out of bed. “i can tell from one look. if i made you get up right now you’d be sleepy blinking for the next hour and napping again soon anyways. besides,” he pauses to pull the blankets over jongin’s mouth, “this is less effort for me.”

jongin wants to tell jinki to stay next to him a little longer, but the alternative isn’t so bad. jinki’s probably going to make some of that herbal tea that usually only old people like. somehow, the scent has become comforting to jongin. maybe frozen waffles since they’re both usually too lazy to make any themselves.

at this thought, jongin’s stomach betrays him with a loud groan, and it’s too painful to try to sleep any more. he struggles to stand up, but the coldness without the blankets and the thought of food makes him wake up. his feet automatically walk to jinki’s closet – is it really just jinki’s closet still? – and he puts on a sweater and cotton pants that are inexplicably more comfortable than similar items of jongin’s. 

jinki doesn’t even blink when jongin walks into the kitchen and sits down at the counter. he pulls the collar of the sweater up so it’s not unevenly exposing jongin’s left shoulder.

☂

jongin loves holding jinki’s hands as much as he likes jinki holding him. when they sit on the couch together or are slouched on the bed, jongin takes one of jinki’s hands in his, pushing the sleeves up if he’s wearing a sweater, and touches jinki’s fingers one by one. jinki’s hands are a little rough because he never puts hand cream on, strong because jinki is, and jongin’s made it a routine to trace jinki’s palm lines with his own finger. 

today he stumbles because jinki’s hand isn’t as it usually is. even curled up in jinki’s lap, a wall of warmth after dark, jongin feels a little unsteady.

“why is there a bandage here?”

“accidentally cut myself earlier when cooking,” jinki responds. “it’s fine.”

jongin knows it is. it’s not a big bandage, and jinki’s often covered with little mistakes. jinki is so careful with jongin, always protecting him, but he easily skips a stair by accident or slips slightly in the bathroom. jongin doesn’t like it when jinki has bruises that jongin didn’t leave there on purpose. he gently strokes the band-aid like a soft rhythm that can lull them both closer to sleep.

“you can tell me things, hyung,” jongin says. it’s a reminder of something that they both already know but is still nice to hear out loud. “you can complain and be annoyed when you cut your finger a little. or when work is frustrating and the higher-ups are being unfair.”

jinki slowly runs his fingers through jongin’s hair, and jongin leans further into him. “mm. i’m just not… used to saying it out loud.” 

“then you should practice more. with me,” jongin says. “not like i’ll tell anyone anything, but i might remember more than you anyway.” he puts a finger against his lips with a “shh!” jinki smiles softly down at him and rubs jongin’s arm in reply. jongin holds his other hand more tightly, linking their pinkies and pressing their thumbs together. jinki’s thumb presses back in assurance. another silent promise between them.

this too is more than enough. jongin, in a different one of jinki’s sweaters, curled against jinki with his head resting on jinki’s chest and jinki’s arms around him. some three-hour-long youtube playlist of soft bossa nova plays in the background. it’s another night of a few discarded beer cans and slightly drunken hours passing slowly. memories fuzzy in the right way.

☂

jongin loves jinki’s flat, loves that it’s small but has big windows and is up on a hill where you can see so much of the city. when it’s hazy from clouds and pollution, the lights from the buildings surrounding them are like different sisters of the sky stars. 

inside, their hearts are on the walls. when it had been just jinki, there were some photos from where he had traveled before – japan, thailand, niagara falls, the maldives. pictures of the ocean with its soft and strong waves. other objects on the few wall shelves: a few old childhood action figures, an overly expensive candle from jonghyun, and a cassette next to a stack of cds. jongin’s arrival led to new additions: more action figures, photographs of his niece and his dogs at home, a small fake plant, baby pictures of jinki that jongin loves too much to keep in albums. 

polaroids of them both together, some a little faded because jongin accidentally flipped them over a little too early. it’s jinki’s and jongin’s and no one else’s little home.

maybe the best thing about the flat is that the walls aren’t too thin and jinki can fill the rooms with his voice. sometimes in the early morning when the sky is a little more grey than blue, faint sunlight visible before the sun, jinki’s singing wraps around jongin’s dreams and brings him halfway to consciousness before he drifts back to sleep. to make sure he doesn’t always miss it, jongin asks jinki to sing him to sleep at night too.

“hold me close and hold me fast,” jongin whispers as he stares at jinki lying on the pillow next to him. jinki knows what he’s asking, and he brushes the hair off of jongin’s face as he begins to sing. the notes that seem both low and high register at once, the slight raspy tone that makes jongin lean in, fall in.

“when you press me to your heart,” jongin pushes himself closer to jinki’s chest, to feel the vibrations in his chest from his singing. his heartbeat too. “i’m in a world apart, a world where roses bloom.” 

jongin wishes he never had to leave this world of warmth and honey. even similar dreams aren’t the same as staying awake all night, his beating heart slightly too irregular to be a metronome for jinki’s soft lullabies. 

“when you kiss me, heaven sighs,” and jongin sighs too, his heart thrumming in chest as if it’s the first time jinki’s ever kissed him so sweetly on the nose. 

“and though i close my eyes…” 

a smile on jongin’s lips still when he falls asleep. the moon shining faintly outside their window. his dreams are filled with roses and the sun that’s always there when it rains.


End file.
